Detective honored for work in murder in investigation
Hawaii Police Department Detective Anson Caceres was recognized by the Kona Crime Prevention Committee as Officer of the Month for December during an awards ceremony earlier this month at Huggo’s on the Rocks in Kona.
Caceres was honored for his exhaustive efforts reviewing video surveillance footage that helped crack two murder investigations. Between May 17 and June 7, Caceres was among detectives in East and West Hawaii investigating two murder cases in Kona and two attempted murder cases in Hilo.
While each detective conducted a thorough investigation, Caceres distinguished himself with his meticulous — and time consuming — work after volunteering to conduct video surveillance recovery and review.
Caceres spent several days methodically reviewing the video surveillance in great detail. Noting a peculiar reaction of a passerby the morning of one of the murders, Caceres began reviewing all recovered video and images in the area, and breaking them down into smaller sequences, until he obtained a clear image of the individual. This process led to the identification of the suspect in the investigation.
With information from Kona Patrol, and assistance from Community Policing and Special Enforcement Units, Area II detectives were able to locate and arrest the 24-year-old suspect, Chito Asuncion who was later charged with one count of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder, and two counts of second-degree attempted murder.
“Detective Caceres’ unwavering determination was an integral part of this investigation delivering the proverbial ‘big break’ in the case. His dedication to duty and thoroughness is an excellent example of the department’s commitment to providing the highest quality police service, to make Hawaii Island a safe place to live, visit, and conduct business,” a press release announcing Caceres as December’s Officer of the Month reads.
Every month the Kona Crime Prevention Committee honors a police officer in west Hawaii as its Officer of the Month. Officers are nominated by their supervisors from the various police districts and a winner is selected by the KCPC board of directors. All officers selected for Officer of the Month are eligible to be selected as the Kona Crime Prevention Committee’s Officer of the Year.
